TRANSMEDIAL GROWTH AND ADAPTATION
I would draw some of the great tales in fullness, and leave many only placed in the scheme, and sketched. The cycles should be linked to a majestic whole, and yet leave scope for other minds and hands, wielding paint and music and drama. Absurd.
—J. R. R. Tolkien, Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien1
At a certain point the length of a written work can change its nature completely. It ceases to be a book, or a piece of writing to be read. With words and images, and the accumulation of detail, not subdued to the task of communication, a different function is revealed: the creation of an alternate reality, a means of living for a lifetime in another world.
—John M. MacGregor, Henry Darger: In the Realms of the Unreal ...
Get Building Imaginary Worlds now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
